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Tyler Pounds Regional Airport braces for holiday travel amid pandemic

Air travel is rebounding from the hard-hit that it took at the beginning of the pandemic.

TYLER, Texas — Air travel is among the hardest-hit industries by COVID-19. Right now the Tyler Pounds Regional Airport is so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. However, as we inch closer to Thanksgiving, this serene atmosphere will be long gone.

Manager at the airport, Davis Dickson, said, “Early on, we saw a reduction of probably 70% of travelers. But now, we’re seeing about a 30% reduction.”

Air travel is on the rebound. Recent data from the TSA shows that travel has increased by 700% since the early days of the pandemic. Tyler airport is making every effort to ensure this improvement continues.

Credit: Shandel Menezes

“Of course, we have a lot of decals on the floor emphasizing social distancing throughout. We do provide facemasks free of charge. They’re at the front door,” Dickson said. 

“With holiday travel, you’re going to see more people that are doing leisure travel and it may take more time for carrying gifts and things of that nature,” he said.

If you want to bring any type of liquids through TSA, all you have to do is freeze it. Once frozen, these items will breeze through security because technically they aren’t liquid anymore.

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